Six Design Ideas for a Fun and Safe Home for Little Children

If you are working with a new home builder to design a home for your family, you are in a serendipitous position because you get to create a home that works for your unique family. If you have small children or you are planning to start a family soon, you may want to add some special features for the enjoyment and safety of your children. Here are some design ideas to consider:

1. Eat-in kitchen

Toddlers and babies are notorious for being messy eaters, and you likely don't want to feed them every meal in a formal dining room. To that end, add an eat-in kitchen to your new home's design. That could mean room for a small dining table, a cozy breakfast nook or a bar with room for stools.

2. Stairs that accommodate a gate

While wide, sweeping staircases look beautiful in homes, they can be hard to fit a baby gate over. Talk with your designer about creating stairways that have relatively close walls on each side so that you can fit a baby gate onto them to prevent tumbles down the stairs. Alternatively, have the designer customise built-in safety gates for stairways.

3. Slides or other fun

If your kids are old enough to navigate stairs on their own, make the steps more fun by installing a slide to them. Especially on basement stairs leading to a playroom, this is a fun idea. If you like, multiply the fun by adding more built-in playground equipment. Anchors in the ceilings to hold trapeze rings, climbing ropes, hammocks, swings or other fun items promise to keep your kids active even inside.

4.  Built-in bunks for friends

When thinking about built-in items, also consider built-in bunk beds. Built-in bunks provide room for friends or cousins to sleep over, and they can be the primary beds for your kids as well if you like. Don't forget to include lots of storage for toys and clothes with your built-in bunks.

5. Dormitory-style rooms

For a unique bedroom setup, consider creating dormitory-style rooms for your little ones. These small rooms should be large enough to just hold the essentials such as a bed and a chest of drawers, but all of the "dorms" can connect to a large shared playroom or study area.

6. Windows with opening top sashes

Regardless of which type of bedroom and playroom setup you select, talk with your builder about windows that have sashes that open on the top. That allows you to open the windows without worrying about your child falling out of them.

To get more design ideas for a home hospitable to your wee ones, contact a new home builder.